Hurray for the Riff Raff | Photo by Noah Silvestry | silvestography.com

New Orleans favorites Hurray for the Riff Raff blanketed the XPoNential Music Festival in a stirring set of soulful folk-blues on Saturday afternoon. Led by the charismatic Alynda Lee Segarra, the five piece band’s blend of rootsy fiddle leads intermingling with gospel organ accents and a punchy upright bass energized the crowd at the River stage.

More significant than their sound, though, was the stories behind each song. Segarra explained to the crowd that “Slow Walk” was about the struggles and frustrations of chasing your dreams, while “The Body Electric” was a spin on the tradition of the murder ballad. “I realized that the person usually getting murdered in these ballads was a woman,” Segarra said. “So I though I should comment on that.” Check out photos and the setlist below, and listen to Hurray for the Riff Raff’s performance in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

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Setlist
Blue Ridge
Instrumental / Look Out Mama
Slow Walk
I Know It’s Wrong
The Body Electric
Lake of Fire
Here It Comes
End of the Line
Little Black Star